


Casuality

by bela013



Series: Fantine x Javert [8]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, wow I need to start giving Cosette a bigger role in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2013-09-24
Packaged: 2017-12-27 13:03:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/979245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bela013/pseuds/bela013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is said that there is always a calm before the great storm. Same can be said in this instance, where all is well before a big change comes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Casuality

Her little girl sat onto the Inspector’s lap, resting her back on his chest, eyes glued on the fast hands that peeled an apple for her, all the while, speaking about the people she saw through the window of the room during the day, or the shapes of the clouds in the sky. Fantine expected a different behavior of the Inspector, but all he did in response was to hum in agreement when he was asked if he was paying attention, and blowing Cosette’s curls off his face when she moved to much.

 

To say that she was fascinated was an understanding, there were no other word for that pull she felt towards the scene in front of her. The patience that Javert showed to her daughter was more effective in making her blush that having him speak sweet words into her ear, not that he would ever do that, mind you.

 

Distracted by her attempts to keep herself from wanting to see those sort of things forever, Fantine is taken by surprise when Javert’s hand appears near her face, offering her an apple, just like the one he offered to Cosette.  They all fall into silence, a comfortable silence, or at least, until Cosette is done with her apple and start asking why Javert had to leave them. Like would do whenever he came to visit them.

 

“I’ve have a long day at station, kid. I need sleep if I must complete my shift tomorrow” it was always the same answer with him. She told him about Cosette, of how she already explained to her that he wasn’t her father, but her girl seamed to ignore it in favor of throwing herself at Javert at any chance she got. He wouldn’t change his answer either, claiming that he would do so when Cosette change her question. Fantine suspected he just didn’t know what else to say to her if not that.

 

And soon enough, he had to leave, which only made Cosette hug him before he stood up, and placed her on the chair he was using. He simply walked off, saying his ‘good nights’ from over his shoulder and waving at them without turning. When they heard the door of the house closing, Cosette jumped from the chair to her bed, clinging to her now that Javert was gone. Fantine knew how hard it would be for Cosette when they’d have to say good bye to the Inspector forever, so it was only when her daughter was asleep that she allowed herself to thing such things.

The room was dead silent, taunting her with complicated notions, explanations to why would Javert even bother to visit them, or why he helped them at all. As she could not come up with an answer that could make some sense, she gave up and went to sleep as well.

 

***

 

The house was dark, and the pot belly stove only had ashes inside, so the cool wind had free reign over the room. Javert didn’t mind, he was still wearing his work coat, so the wind did him no harm. What truly bothered him was something else altogether.

 

Fantine was to get her release from the doctor’s care in a few days, and she will leave with her girl to wherever she saw fit. He tried to deny it, but he got used to their company, he would even go as far as to say that he enjoy it. After working hours, he would always visit them, and this had been for almost two weeks, all since he arrived with Cosette. He had brought knitting needles and yarn for Fantine, one day, he couldn’t imagine sitting idle all day, so he tried to find something she could use to occupy her mind. But most of those days, he would bring his own food so he could eat with them, having the girl perched on his legs, watching Fantine work with her needles or ignoring her eyes, that followed his every move.

 

Now, at his own house, after visiting them once more, he tried to decide what to do, and if keeping them close was even a possibility. He tried to convince himself that this was all but a sing for him to finally distance himself from them. But he knew that such thing made no sense, he knew the answer to his problems. After all his efforts to help them, to make Fantine healthy, going to a different town to get her girl, taking care of said girl and delivering her in safety, did he really want to simply walk away?

 

Of course not, and if what he wanted was to get rid of them, he wouldn’t have arrived at home only to go looking for his mother’s old jewelry box, instead of going to bed. The box now sat at the small table near the stove, still closed, waiting for him to pick what he wanted from inside it.

 

He was not a fool, if he wanted to keep helping them, the only correct way to go about it was to find one of his mother’s old rings that could fit on Fantine’s thin fingers, and ask her to be his wife. It wouldn’t be proper for him to help an unwed woman, or to stand in her way. Fantine needed a house to stay, she wouldn’t be able to stay in his house otherwise. This was for her protection, he only wanted to help them. She and Cosette would stay on his room, and he’s sleep behind the curtain he used to separate his kitchen and sitting room from the office. He could find a cot on the market for himself, it wouldn’t be a problem.

 

It sounded like a fine plan in his head, except for the part where he’d share it with Fantine. Javert didn’t have experience with women, much less in the area where a man must suggest a married life to one. 

**Author's Note:**

> That summary is the best I could come up with. At least it matches what this fic is about. And I know there is that huge cliff hanger at the end, but it is because I had to cut this fic in two. Javert was giving me trouble on the second part, so it got too big. Next one is probably on by Friday/Saturday.


End file.
